


Poisoned Stars

by TokyoTeddyWolf



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual shance, Hunk and Keith are pals, M/M, allura just wants some help ok, god I haven’t posted a fic in forever, idk what to call it dude, lets see how far i can take this, mostly focused on the story rather than the romance, mythical AU, pidge and Lance are pals, shiro and Keith are pals, sort of modern but still fantasy ish?, the Galra are still pricks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-03-17 18:13:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13664526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TokyoTeddyWolf/pseuds/TokyoTeddyWolf
Summary: Five warriors, five elements. The land is dying, and a young halfblood goddess is supposed to round up the few chosen to stop it. The only problem is, every clan is silently warring against each other. However, hope isn’t lost, since there are a few who believe that friendship, and love, can exist between two of different kinds...





	1. Guppy Scales

She really shouldn’t be doing this. It was against the rules. But the guppy was struggling and trilling wildly, the harsh net digging into his scales and skin and leaving smears of dark liquid on the sand.

She’d only discovered this little cove a few days ago, angry at her big brother for messing with her organized toys and flying off in a huff. So when she came here today to deck out the makeshift nest she was setting up and found the caught Mer child, she’d hidden and watched.

  
All Avians knew about the Rules. Number three: Never fly alone. Number two: Never go out at night. And Number One: Never Fly Over Bodies Of Water. That one was capitalized on each word because it was very important. A full grown Mer could spear you down from the sea or from a pond, wherever they lived. Avians weren’t helpless, but a wing shot was as good as death if you punched a hole through enough feathers and skin.

  
But this was a guppy Mer, only maybe two or three years older than her age of 6 years. So he couldn’t hurt her or drown her, right? And he was injured. Her mama said that all life was precious, which was why she frowned when the boys of the flock brought back the tail of a slain Mer or Naga to sell the scales.

  
So she made her way over to the little merman on the beach. “Hang on, I’ll get you out!” She whispered, careful since she didn’t know who might be listening at this time of day. The guppy froze, eyes wide and sides heaving as she dug at the wire and rope holding the poor thing captive.

  
She bowed her tan and gold wings over the Mer to shield him from the hot sun and to prevent him from drying out as she worked on untangling the net. The guppy was scarily still, only his harsh breathing telling her that he was alive. Her claws sliced the rope easily, but the wire was irritating her. Stupid humans and their no good metal tools, iron was the worst discovery since stone spears!

  
Eventually, the Mer guppy was freed and the net was crumpled into a ball to dispose of later. She cooed softly and brushed sand away from the wounds, pouring water on the scales to clean them.

  
“Umm, thank you... you’re not gonna eat me, are you?” The guppy asked, wide blue eyes focused on her face. She chirped indignantly.

  
“What? No! I don’t like fish.” She made a face, scrunching up her face in disgust. “Besides, Mer aren’t food. Do you eat every Avian you spear from the sky like the stories say?”

  
The boy burst out laughing, bending at the waist to clutch his belly at the thought. She sweated slightly, the answer in her face.

  
“I’ll take that as a no. So, what exactly happened? How’d you get all tangled up like that?” She said, scooting up as the tide came in and lapped at the Mer’s tail.

  
“I dunno. I was swimming along, looking for human shinies and the next thing I know, I’m stuck in a current with that mesh wrapped around my back and tail. Then I’m tossed onto this beach by the force of a wave that crashed into the side of the cove. I’ve been here for an hour at most?” He had finally gotten over his laughing fit at least.

  
“Good thing I came along. I think the tide will come up to about your waist, so you’ll be able to leave soon.” She tried not to sound as disappointed as she felt.

  
Oddly enough, the feeling was mutual. “Well, saving my life means I kinda owe you a debt... so how about I bring you some cool stuff from the ocean? Girls like shiny shells these days, right?”

  
She snorted, ruffling her feathers. “Not this girl. But I do like old technology. Like flip phones and ancient laptops. Those get lost in the ocean a lot, don’t they? Stuff I can take apart and rebuild.”

  
The guppy lit up. Literally. Electric blue lines lit up across his body in mesmerizing patterns and dots, glowing softly to match his eyes. It startled her, wings snapping open in an instant flight response as her hair fluff poofed out.

  
“Gah! Sorry! I always light up when I get excited... Mamá says we’re a pod of bio-lummie-nest-ant Mer or something. It’s just that there’s a spot in the ocean with this super old communications ship that’s full of computer-y junk and old phones! I’ll see what I can find!”

  
She grinned, smoothing her feathers down. “Perfect! We can meet back here, at this cove! I was building a hideout here anyways, and there’s a small stream that goes through the cave that you could fit through!”

  
The cove was a natural rock formation by the sea, a mess of cliffs and sand that surrounded a small pool of ocean water accessible only from the air or through an underground water passage. The main rock wall had a small cave with high shelves, a perfect nook to tuck a small house in and just big enough for a couple of people. Running just underneath the shelf was a river, wide enough for a single full grown Mer to swim through carrying cargo and a wet ramp that led up the side of the rocks to the nest.

  
So far, all that was there was the beginnings of a camp and a cloth bed with fluffy bedding, a few feathers and a tiny ice chest stocked with water and chips. A wall made out of some stacked rocks and clay formed a sort of windbreaker, angled so that the wind from the front of the cave wouldn’t disturb the small nest.

  
“Okay! By the way, my name is Lance. What’s yours?”

  
She grinned and adjusted her glasses.  
“My name’s Katie Holt. But you can call me Pidge.”


	2. Flight Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little fluff, a little hurt, a big change.

“Seven years and I still don’t know how you get here before I do.” Pidge grumbled, tucking her wings before rummaging through her bag. Lance, now growing into his more adult scales, grinned at her with sharp teeth and waved his tail lazily in the air.

  
“I’m just simply faster than you, admit it.” He preened, pinkish white scars gleaming on his back.

  
Pidge scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Bullshit. You’ve gotta be using a current or something.”

  
“I am not! It’s all on my own power! Really!” Lance said, pouting at her disbelief.  
She raised an eyebrow at him, then sighed and went back to her bag. Lance frowned, tilting his head as he eyed her expression.

  
“Pidge? Is something wrong?” He asked, resting a hand on her outstretched foot.

  
She fidgeted, clearly indecisive. Lance waited patiently. She’d tell him sooner or later, they’d been secret friends for a long time now. It was a pleasantly warm day, the sun casting a faint gold glow to Pidge’s feathers, softening the white and tan colors.

  
“Well, you know how a few of my flock helped out in a raid the other day?” She spoke after a short silence, casting her eyes down to her lap and fiddling with her fingers.

  
“Yeah, you said your brother and his friend went off with the hunting party. This has to do with that?”

  
“Mer. They- They were hunting Mer, Lance. My brother came back with a guppy tail as a reward, and his spear was covered in blood. My dad praised him for it. Has anyone gone missing from your pod?” She blurted, feathers fluffing in distress.

  
Lance froze, eyes wide. He shook himself out of it enough to answer. “N-no, nobody in my pod is missing, but we had heard about a pod, one with connections with a small human village, that got attacked... and a lot were killed by the time another pod came by to help...”

  
Pidge rubbed at her eyes. “I was so mad at Matt and Shiro, I didn’t even listen to them before I flew off. They’d normally never hurt a soul, much less children! I don’t know if I can live with that, knowing my brother helped murder children, even if they weren’t feathered. I packed enough for a couple days, but we might have to forage after that.”

  
Lance nodded. They’d done this before, but not for more than half a day. “Okay, Pidge. But what if your flock comes looking for you?”

  
“They won’t for a while. They know I disappear when I’m upset, so they’ll let me be for the rest of today and hopefully tomorrow. This cove is nearly ten miles from the flock nest, and the human village is closer than that, so they won’t head this way. I’ve read a lot about human trade and currency, so I can find stuff to sell them to get money in return for food and nest materials. The nest house here is pretty much finished anyways, all I’d have to do is sweep up the sand.”

  
Lance frowned. “Are you sure you want to run away from your family, Pidge? I mean, you love them a lot, right?”

  
Pidge folded her arms over her chest. “Yeah, I love them more than anything in the world. But I’m also friends with you, and my family would kill you if they saw you. They don’t understand the Mer like I do, now that I know you and what you’re really like. And Matt and Shiro killed guppies, Lance! Children that couldn’t fight back! I- I can’t-“ She folded her wings around herself, locking up in a cocoon of feathers.

  
Lance trilled lightly in alarm and wriggled forwards, pushing under the wings to wrap the girl in a wet hug. She sniffled and hugged him back, wings shifting to accommodate the extra body.

  
“Hey, hey, Pidgeon, it’s okay, you don’t have to go back. You won’t go back, and that’s fine.” He crooned, adding a little bit of siren song to his voice to calm the agitated Avian.

  
She shuddered and relaxed. “Yeah, I’m good. I’m fine. There was just so much blood-”  
“Shh, don’t think about it now. Tell me about what you think you can sell to the humans for money, okay? Do you want some of my scales to sell?” Lance asked, pulling back to sit beside her.

  
Pidge blinked, wiping at her eyes under her glasses. “That won’t hurt you, will it?” She asked, eyeing his tail with apprehension.

  
“Nah, it’s kinda like tugging out a strand of hair. Old scales come out easier than new ones, and kinda get this weird rainbow sheen to them once they’ve dried for a long time.” Lance explained, lifting his tail up to show off the faint shine to his fins as his scales dried in the sun.

  
“Plus,” he continued, “I take extremely good care of my tail, so my scales are in what you’d call ‘prime condition’, or whatever. I’m probably worth a lot of money.” He said, obviously trying to joke.

  
She fell for it anyways, snorting out a wet laugh. “Ha, I bet you aren’t worth a penni!”

She shrieked when he splashed her as a reply, rolling away to kick a pile of seaweed at him.  
He yelped as it thwacked him right in the face, peeling away a frond to glare at the laughing featherbrain girl.

This started a game of splash back, Lance flipping finfuls of water at the young Avian who yelled and kicked up froth, getting sea foam in her wings and hair as they played.

  
The day ended with the two soaked and curled up on some rocks, bathing in the sunshine as it faded from the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahaha I’m gonna go cry into a tissue now, bye-


	3. Andromeda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where the real story now starts.

The woman awoke with a loud gasp, bolting upright from her sleeping bag. Her aide was by her side in an instant, having been on night watch. “Milady? What is it? Another vision?” The kind ginger haired man asked, gently helping her sit up and handing her a canteen of water.

She took the container gratefully, taking a deep drink before handing it back.

“Thank you, Coran. It definitely was a vision, though a bit more confusing than the last.” She explained, smoothing her hair into a somewhat manageable bun. Her aide merely waited for her to explain.

“I saw black and silver feathers coated in blood, a strong wind blowing them along before a burst of fireworks went off in the darkness, distracting me. They lit up a strange little cove by the sea, where the sea was almost playing with a small tree growing in the sand. Beyond the cove was a large forest, where a mountain waited. Behind the mountain was a seething pool of poison, and it was strangling the trees nearby.”

“Do you know what it might mean, Milady?” Coran questioned, handing her a packet of beef jerky. She raised an eyebrow at him, almost amused.

“Coran, you’ve been like an uncle to me since I was born. You don’t have to call me ‘Milady’ or ‘Young Priestess’ when nobody’s around.” She said, nudging him with her foot as she tore open the package.

The man sighed, then smiled wryly. “Oh all right, Allura. Back to the topic at hand though. Did you recognize any symbols or what those objects might mean?”

Allura hummed around her jerky, thinking it over. “I think it was a clue about the paladins. Feathers and wind probably mean, Avians? Their city is nearby, we could look around there first. Although, they haven’t been too friendly to outsiders after they lost a raid to the Mer four years ago.”

Coran nodded. “Alright. We’ll start for Windbreak City when it’s a bit brighter out. Let’s hope they allow us entry.”

* * *

  
The city of Windbreak was more of a collection of small villages than an actual city. The center was a market, trading and selling going on wherever you turned. Allura smiled at the familiar atmosphere. Coran seemed to be feeling the nostalgia too, grinning brightly as he bartered with a merchant for supplies.

The city was similar to their little temple village, Altea. But instead of minor deities, priests, and the occasional forest sprite and fairy, it was chock full of Avians. Feathers as far as you could see, some walking, several flying, and plenty of goods for sale.

She looked around, hoping maybe the laws here were a little less strict than they had been back in the dragon’s city. Interspecies mingling was frowned upon and even banned in certain villages, which is why being a Priestess was so dangerous. You never knew if a city would welcome you or ban you. She hoped to fix that soon, after the Galra were dealt with.

She was admiring a shiny piece of jewelry when she noticed the commotion in the main square, an alarming altercation between two men.

One had copper colored hair, to match his wings that were speckled with white and orange. His staff clashed against the other Avian’s prosthetic, who had a defensive stance. People were cheering, waving money and yelling encouragements to the two Avians.

The other sent a shock of recognition through her body, not because of his face, but because of his wings. Broad and strong, his wings were a gorgeous blend of black and silver, with white tips. The exact same color as the feathers in her dream.

He grinned at his opponent, dropping low to swipe a kick at the other male’s legs. The forelock of white hair moved aside with the movement, and though faint, she could clearly see the symbol of the Paladin of Sky on his forehead.

“Coran, I found the first Paladin.” She hissed when she found her aide, pointing over at the two men.

“Go Shiro! Don’t lose this time, okay?!”

“Ha! Kick his ass Matt! You can do it, today for sure!”

“Priestess, we should find a place to stay for the night, it’s getting late. There’s an inn nearby, let’s check in there and ask about this Shiro character when we can. No point in drawing attention to ourselves right now.” Coran explained, eyes on the black and white haired Avian that easily dodged the staff’s sideswipe and backflipped just for show.

* * *

  
“Hello! Welcome to the Featherbed, I assume you’re both staying for the night?” The Avian woman at the counter gave them a smile, eyes lined with worry wrinkles and laugh lines.

“Yes, we’re just passing through on some  business.” Coran explained smoothly, reaching for his wallet. “How much for two nights?”

The woman waved it off. “No charge, travelers and the like stay here for free. Plus, I wouldn’t dream of charging a Priestess and her aide!” She said, turning to rummage through a drawer for a room key.

Allura smiled wryly and touched the markings under her eyes lightly, symbols the gods had given her at birth that proclaimed her status as a Priestess. The markings, pointed ears, and abnormal colored hair alluded to the fact she had the blood of a god, and that she was allowed to go wherever she pleased.

Prophecies were never disputed, after all. If a Priestess needed you, you went. Fools who failed to do so had often faced terrible fates or unhappy endings when they didn’t listen, after all.

“The rooms are connected through the walk in closet.” The woman, who’s name tag read “Colleen”, said, handing over the key to rooms #8 and #9. “Are you here on prophecy business, Lady Priestess?”

“Yes, actually. Do you know about a person named Shiro? I saw him in the square today, but wasn’t able to talk to him before he flew off. I was walking by and had a vision with him in it, and it’s important he hear it.” Allura hated half truths, but information was necessary. Plus, the world was at stake here, there was no time to waste.

Colleen’s eyes widened. “Oh! Takashi? He was probably sparring with Matt again today, he lives with us as a flock member. I can fetch him for you if you’d like!”

“That would be lovely, thank you. Please send him to my room when you can, the vision was a bit... well, important.” Allura said, reaching over to tug Coran away from a picture frame hanging on the wall.

“Excuse me, but is this your flock?” Coran asked, nodding to the picture. Colleen nodded, but frowned.

“Well, yes. Before... an incident.” The Avian woman said, eyes lingering on the grinning girl in the photo.

“My daughter went missing four years ago. We don’t know where she went or why she disappeared, though she had an argument with Matt before she left. It was after the boys went off to help the raiding party... I think it was the Mer tail Matt was gifted with by the raid leader. She just... vanished. Not a feather to be found. We still think she’s alive, but she would have come home by now if that were the case, according to my neighbors.”

Allura wasn’t exactly listening, staring at the picture with a blank, faraway look on her face. Coran, recognizing the look, held up a hand in a shushing motion, Colleen covering her mouth in an instant.

“Green feathers, wet scales. Rocks, a home wall to wall with technology. Sea foam, grass and sand. White and black wings and violet eyes. There’s a secret in the cove.” Allura whispered, a wash of faint cold air flooding the room as the prophecy was spoken aloud.

Coran lunged forward as the half goddess collapsed on the spot, Colleen rushing to help.

“I’ll take her to her room. Please send this Shiro person to us in about an hour. She should be recovered by then.” Coran ordered, swiftly scooping up his charge and moving towards the stairs that led to the motel rooms.

Colleen was left to stare at the picture with her missing daughter in it and wonder what exactly the prophecy had meant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOO BOI WAS THIS A HECKING RIDE. I had to rewrite this chapter after some thoughts, so I hope y’all liked it! Up next, finally some Shiro POV! Heck yeah! :3


	4. Silver Feathers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura finds her Paladin of the Sky and the adventure begins!

“Shiro, Mom says there’s a Priestess here to see you. She’s in room #8 and said she saw a prophecy involving you.” Matt said as he entered the room, rubbing his neck with a damp towel.

Shiro looked up from brushing out his wings, raising an eyebrow. “A Priestess? Isn’t Altea on the other side of the country? They rarely make it all the way here, much less for a simple prophecy. They usually send a messenger. Why would a Priestess come all the way in person?” He asked his close friend, setting down the brush and closing his wings.

Matt shrugged and plopped down on one of the couches, wings splayed over the back of it in a ruffled mess. “Dude, I have as much of an idea as you do about it. You should go ask. Plus, she came all the way here to find you, so it’s gotta be something really important!”

Shiro frowned, but got to his feet. “Yeah, alright. I might get cursed if I don’t, though I dunno what else I can lose at this point.” He sighed.

“Except maybe your other limbs.” Matt joked, grinning, the scar on his cheek pulling with his mouth.

Shiro smiled back wryly. “That too.”

Matt rolled his eyes and nudged his fellow flock mate with his foot. “Go see the dang Priestess and get this over with. Lemme know if she’s cute tho, ‘ey?” He wiggled his eyebrows at Shiro, who choked on a laugh.

“Easy there, tiger.” He commented as he left the room to see what fate had in store for him today.

* * *

  
Arriving at room #8, he politely knocked on the door.

“Come in!” A cheerful voice said, and he opened the door and stepped inside.

The voice belonged to a young woman in a long sleeved white dress and a pink cardigan, simple clothes that he assumed Priestesses liked to wear. A orange haired man stood next to the wall on the opposite side of him, smiling with an aura of ‘you make one wrong move and I will firmly kick you where the sun won’t shine.’

Tucking his wings to give a loose effect of ‘I mean no harm to you or yours’, Shiro tipped his head at the white haired woman.

“You asked to see me, Milady Priestess?” He asked calmly, shutting the door behind him. At that, the Priestess let her cheerful facade drop and she frowned.

“I need your help.” She blurted, hands gripping the sheets under her from where she sat.

Shiro blinked, waiting for her to continue.

“I assume you know the Galra?” She continued, watching him.

He nodded, absently rubbing his prosthetic. “I’ve had an encounter with them that I’d rather not repeat ever again.”

Her eyes softened in sympathy. “I understand. The reason I’m here is because I saw a prophecy spelling the end of our land as we know it. And the Galra are at the heart of it all. They’ve already attacked my people, which is why I’ve traveled so far to find you. Well, you and the others I’m searching for.” She explained.

“My name is Allura, and this is my aide, Coran. You, Shiro, are the Paladin of the Sky. There are five Paladins I must find, and you are the first. Black and silver feathers in the wind.” Allura said solemnly, standing and bowing to Shiro, Coran doing the same.

Shiro stiffened, and waved his hands dismissively. “I’m sorry, Priestess, but I’m not sure I get what you mean by the Paladin of the Sky. Also, the Galra have been a pain to everyone for centuries, why are they suddenly the cause of the land dying, if I caught that correctly?”

Coran straightened and frowned. “As you probably well know, the Galra are a powerful race of snake beings that live in the Deep Forests. Their poison is to be feared, but recently they joined with a coven of witches. Somehow, they’ve managed to poison magic itself, and as such, are destroying the land around them with it. They want to drive out the other species entirely, leaving only them and all the prey within it. If this happens, entire tribes could go extinct and the land they tend to would die off without balance to sustain it.”

Shiro clenched his fist with a growl, wings fluffing in distress at the thought of his hometown being poisoned to death. “What does this have to do with the Paladins?” He asked, forcing himself to calm in the name of gaining information.

“The Paladins are five who hold the ability to control an element, sometimes different species, sometimes the same as their comrades. You, as the Paladin of the Sky, are able to control wind. Or at least you will once you learn to harness and control your Quintessence. They also hold balance when with the other Paladins, and that energy can force out the poisoned magic. At least that’s what my father explained to me before I left Altea. I still need to find the Paladins of Fire, Earth, Life, and Water.” Allura explained, sitting back down on the bed with a huff and gesturing for Shiro to take a seat on the loveseat nearby.

Shiro took his seat and sighed. “Alright then, me being the Paladin of Sky would explain a few things, like why the wind always shifted in my favor whenever I’m out flying or why it gets breezy when I’m mad.”

“I saw another prophecy downstairs earlier, a hint to the other Paladins. Don’t suppose you know anyone with green feathers or violet eyes?” The Priestess asked, chin in her hands and raising an eyebrow at the two tone haired man.

Shiro’s frown deepened. “No, there aren’t any Avians with green feathers in this city, it would have been noticed immediately. But violet eyes? Nobody here has...” he paused, suddenly deep in thought.

Allura and Coran both jumped when the Avian suddenly smacked his palm to his face.

“Of course! Violet eyes, weird powers, an affinity to an element! We need to go find Keith!” He exclaimed, getting to his feet.

“Who is Keith? A friend of yours?” Coran asked, curious.

“Well, yes? You could call it that. We’re sort of like brothers, though we’re different species. He’s a vampire.” Shiro admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“A vampire?” Allura asked incredulously, eyes wide. “I’ve never met one before, they’re so reclusive and hard to find.”

“Well, Keith lives at the far edge of town, more towards the human city than the Avian villages. He doesn’t eat people per say, but he has an arrangement with the local hospital, exchanging herbs and medicines for blood. His eyes are a weird indigo color that’s violet in sunlight, and has this odd affinity for fire. Which is probably why sunlight doesn’t affect him like other vampires. It makes him stronger in bright sunlight, not weaker.” Shiro babbled, wings fluttering excitedly.

Allura grinned for the first time that day. “Well enough chatting here, we should make preparations to go meet this Keith!”

Coran had enough hindsight to ask for lunch first, however. Shiro was happy to oblige.

* * *

 

“Alright, so, Keith’s a bit... suspicious, about people. He won’t trust you at first glance, but he’ll listen to what you have to say before anything else.” Shiro said the second day they were traveling through the forest, a dusty path snaking ahead of them.

Allura huffed and smacked a branch out of her face, fluffy hair already snarled with leaves. “Is that why he lives in the densest part of this hellish forest?” She asked, eye twitching.

Shiro shuffled his wings and nodded. “Yeah. He hasn’t had a good experience with other species, so he grew up extremely defensive and on guard.” He explained, pushing ahead.

Coran, seemingly having no trouble with the thick vegetation, was scouting ahead for Keith’s hut.

“We should be coming up on his territory now, actually.” Shiro explained, pausing when Allura stopped. “Hey, are you okay?”

“You can’t feel that?” The Priestess asked, reaching forward hesitantly, flinching back as if burned.

“Feel what?” Shiro responded, moving towards the Priestess.

“That wall of fire right in front of us. It’s... _angry_. Something doesn’t want us here.” She whispered, eyes wide.

“Angry? What-”

“Priestess! Look out!” Coran yelled, running towards them.

A purple blur tackled Allura to the ground, snarling with bared fangs dripping black poison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehehhehehehehehehe :3  
> Chapter five will be out soon, I promise!


	5. Daytime Nightwalker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura can handle herself, thank you very much.

Allura reacted without thinking, hands gripping the monster’s jaw to keep the poisonous fangs from reaching its intended target. Her feet dug into the ground as the held the monster away from her, knuckles pale with the strength of her grip.

Shiro cursed violently and tackled the creature away from the Priestess, rolling over before throwing it into a tree with the use of his prosthetic. Lilac colored runes inscribed on the metal were what was lending him the power of this inhuman strength, as Allura noticed.

“Shiro, what the hell is that thing?!” Allura gasped, finally taking in just what exactly was trying to kill them.

It was purple for one thing, patches of black scales along its back leading into a literal snake tail. It had four limbs and three heads, one of a wolf, one of a horse, and the snake head at the end of its tail. It’s bared fangs on both wolf and snake heads were gray and lined with a sickly black poison, saliva dripping out of both open mouths.

The main head in front, the wolf one, howled in rage as it’s intended meal hadn’t died at the first bite. The head on its back whinnied, and the snake tail rose up like a hissing demonic scorpion.

“Southern Chimera. Nasty things. Though I’ve never seen one so far north before. Must have escaped from a human circus or something else equally stupid. One thing’s for sure, it’s eaten people before and likes the taste.” Shiro explained, settling into a fighters stance.

Allura’s face settled into a glare, and also took up a position, ready for a fight. Coran, at this point, had seamlessly slid into place just in front of Allura, hands up and ready to throw some hits.

The chimera snarled and lunged, eyes on the weakest mark, body checking the aide aside and launching at Allura with a roar that no wolf could ever make.

Allura promptly punched it into the ground, hard enough to dent the earth underneath. The main head yelped in pain, but the second head made a break for the half goddesses wrist. She punched that one too, other hand shooting up to grab the snake tail by its throat. Getting a firm grip on both its back mane and tail, she lifted the entire thing over her head and swung it around in a circle until she’d built up enough momentum.

Then she threw it clear southward, over the treetops and with seemingly no effort.

Allura huffed irritably and dusted off her hands, scowling at a tear in her dress where a stray claw had gotten caught.

Coran reached over to shut Shiro’s jaw, chuckling quietly.

“Well, that’s one way to deal with something.” Shiro stated, finally snapping out of his thoughts.

“It tried to _eat me_ , Shiro. It was gross and had super bad breath, so of course I got it as far away from me as possible. It ripped my good dress too!” Allura groaned, brushing a leaf from her clothes.

“We should keep going, Keith’s home isn’t too far away.” Shiro said, turning to the sort-of path they’d been following.

A rustling in the trees interrupted them, and someone dropped down into a bush.

“Hey, have any of you seen a chimera around here?” A man with messy black hair asked, pushing through the brush.

After the brief hostility and pause, the Priestess answered first. She had seen the faint symbol on his right forearm, and felt it appropriate to speak.

“Yes. It tried to eat me, so I threw it over that way.” Allura said, not quite relaxed but jabbing a finger towards the south.

“You threw-? How the hell did _you_ throw a _four hundred pound creature?!_ ” The pale man from the bushes yelped, eyes wide. Now that she took a better look, Allura realized they were violet colored.

Shiro raised an eyebrow at the new person. “Keith, did you know that chimera?” He asked, ignoring how both Alteans shot him a look.

“Well, yes and no. It was sort of a wild import gone wrong, and since I’ve got poison immunity and fire doesn’t work on me, a doctor pal of mine asked me to hunt it down and get rid of it before more people ended up in the hospital.” Keith said, folding his arms across his chest.

“Wait, why would you be worried about fire? It’s not summertime yet?” Coran asked, dusting off his pants.

“Well, Southern Chimeras have a nasty habit of spitting oil from their second head. Their claws have traces of flint in them, so one swipe on the wrong surface and boom! Flames. They can also light themselves on fire, if they haven’t been washed in a while. Which is about as rare as a Mer tear.” Keith said, jogging over to Shiro.

Said Avian grinned and ruffled the shorter man’s hair fondly. The Vampire hissed and swatted at the prosthetic, irritably flattening his hair back down.

“It’s good to see you doing well, buddy.” Shiro said, wings fluffed in delight at the younger’s fussing.

“Yeah yeah, you saw me like a _month_ ago. Mind introducing me to these... people? They don’t look human, or smell like it either.” Keith complained, eyes sliding over to the two Alteans.

“Right. Keith, this is Allura, a Priestess. The guy with the mustache is Coran, her aide. They came looking for me with a prophecy about the Galra killing everything, and need to find certain people to help stop them.” Shiro’s explained, hand resting on Keith’s shoulder.

“It’s as Shiro says, Keith. I had a prophecy, foretelling the land as we know it being poisoned, magic and all. Shiro is the Paladin of the Sky, and you are the Paladin of Fire. That leaves three more we must find; Water, Life and Land. Paladins, once they focus their Quintessence, or elemental energy, are able to control, deflect, and use a certain element.” Allura said, gesturing to Shiro.

“On the way here she showed me how to focus it, though all I can do at the moment is make it a little breezy.” Shiro sighed.

“So wait, I’m supposed to _believe_ all this weird mumbo jumbo from a weirdo that apparently threw a chimera a huge ass distance away? Shiro with powers? Paladins? The Galra poisoning the most pure substance on earth? Dude, are you sure you guys didn’t hit your heads or something?” Keith scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Keith, she’s a _literal half god._ If she says the Galra are poisoning magic itself, then the Galra are probably _legitimately poisoning magic itself._ ” Shiro deadpanned, thwacking Keith over the head with his human hand.

“Ow! Hey!” The Vampire growled, clutching his head. “For one thing, all I know is that these two are trespassing my territory. Secondly, the Galra have been a pain for years, why are they suddenly a huge problem _now?”_

“Are you going to help or not, Keith?” Shiro asked, folding his arms over his chest and puffing up his wings.

Keith sighed and rubbed his scalp. “Alright, fine, I’ll help. But only because I hate the Galra for what they’ve done to my kind and yours. You especially. How’s Matt?”

“Shrugs the questions off with jokes and puns, like usual.” Shiro sighed, rolling his shoulders absently before looking over to Allura and Coran. “We’re off topic. Where to next, Priestess?”

Allura had a curious look on her face as she looked between the Vampire and Avian, but refrained from asking any questions.

Coran cleared his throat, reaching into his coat to pull out a map. “I believe there’s a human city fairly close by? We’re low on provisions, especially now since we’re feeding four mouths instead of three.”

Keith waved his hand dismissively. “I can go about a week or so without blood after I’ve eaten, so four packs of blood can be stretched over a month and a half if I ration well enough. Human food doesn’t give me any energy.”

Coran raised an eyebrow, but continued. “Alright, food for three people and one _Vampire_ then. We’ll still need to stock up, especially if we find the other Paladins as quickly as we’ve found you two. Which means buying more backpacks.”

Keith piped up yet again. “My house won’t help, all it has food wise is blood. But we can stay there for the night if you diurnal weirdos want a place to sleep.”

Allura smiled for the first time that day. “That would be lovely, Keith.”

“Let’s go then, I won’t wait for y’all.” Keith yawned, starting for the path.

Shiro covered a chuckle as he followed his friend, the thought of sleeping on an actual bed appealing.

It had been a long day, now it was time to rest before setting out again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet you thought it was Keith attacking Allura :3  
> I fooled you good! Have some badass Half Goddess Allura to celebrate season 5 :)


	6. Catch Me If You Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My darling you are so charming,  
> ‘Cause you won’t, ‘Cause you won’t,  
> No you can’t  
> Catch me if you can,  
> But this is all in vain! In vain...

Keith _hated_ cities.

Well, okay, more like he got claustrophobic among all the humans bartering for things at various stores and stalls selling weird odds and ends. The others had split up to look around, Allura having seen another prophecy the day before about green feathers and ocean waves or something. So far he’d seen neither of those things, not even on the three day trip here.

The port was a mile or so east and south, so plenty of shops had fish, along with the odd stall keeper or two. The only major buildings were the hospital and the police station, which Keith preferred to avoid.

They’d split up to look for any Avians or humans with green feathers or the smell of the ocean on them, and so far the only fishy smelling people he and Shiro had found were old fishermen.

“Okay, so, I asked around and it seems like the only green feathers around are ones in small charms sold by a young stallkeep, though nobody knows her name. I have a description and a vague direction on where to go, so we might as well follow that for our lead.” Shiro said, eyes scanning the thin crowd around them.

Keith made a soft noise in agreement, noting how uncomfortable Shiro looked with his wings tucked away. This city wasn’t exactly nice to Others, but at least there weren’t any bans.

“We should meet up with Allura and Coran after checking this though.” He added, tugging the neck of his jacket up.

Shiro hummed his agreement, beginning his way towards the stall that would hopefully bring them closer to finding the next Paladin.

* * *

  
It was a slow day for sales, Pidge thought. A light breeze rustled the silver clip in her hair, one she’d made out of her old wire glasses and some molted feathers. For an Avian, her eyesight had improved over the years, but she kept a pair of black rimmed glasses on just to seem more approachable and human.

She _really_ wanted to go home and stretch out her wings, maybe go fish diving with Lance later if he wasn’t busy helping his siblings with anything. Bored, she scanned the crowd for potential buyers, but it seemed nobody needed an old electronic device or some charms.

She sighed and gave up on getting any sales for the day, and began packing up all the items she was selling today.

She’d just taken down the last dream catcher when a black and white haired person caught her eye. Frowning, she focused on his face, trying to figure out why he made her uneasy.

Gray eyes, a scar across his nose, a magic inscribed prosthetic and bulky muscles, along with a forelock of white hair. Under it all, that face was familiar...

A memory. Black fluffy hair and dark wings flying after her, a game of tag. A second memory, her brother and his best friend returning from a raid, the tail of a guppy Mer in his hands, that man covered in blood.

 _Takashi_. That was _Shiro_. Had he found her? And next to him was _Keith_ of all people! She hadn’t seen the reclusive vampire in nearly a decade! Packing a little faster now, she pulled the hood of her jacket up and scooped up her bag, bolting from her now-empty stall and slipping into an alleyway.

She _refused_ to go back to that nest of murderers.

* * *

  
Keith muttered a curse under his breath when he saw the empty stall, the shopkeeper nowhere in sight. Taking a deep breath through his nose, Keith recognized the scent of algae, seawater and fish, along with the unmistakable smell of dusty feathers that all Avians carried.

“Where’d she go?” Shiro muttered, looking around in confusion.

“I’m gonna go above to scan around.” Keith said, already dashing into the alleyway in order to climb a nearby ladder.

“I’ll look on the ground! Remember, the guy who told us where to find her said she always wore a silver hair clip with green and white feathers in it.” Shiro called as Keith disappeared up a fire escape.

Keith jumped to the roof, running along until he jumped to the next roof, head tilted down to see if he could catch the scent of the stallkeeper. The smell of sand dusted feathers and algae was strong to his sensitive nose, even among the sweet cakelike scent of a human filled city.

He stopped at the edge of one of the buildings, exhaling hot air. A glint of silver caught his eye, and a girl pulled her hood back up as she slipped into another alleyway.

He backed away, took a running leap, and cleared the gap across the street, landing with a quiet thud upon another rooftop and rolling with the impact. He got back on his feet and continued following the trail, intent on hunting this prey.

He stalked her all the way to the forest, where she shook off a panel of cloth across her back, revealing an Avian jacket with back slits. He hid in a tree as he watched her wings burst through skin to spread freely, eyes widening at the sight of golden tan and green feathers, the scent of the sea and sand increasing on the wind.

She took off at a run, flapping once, twice, then she was in the air. Keith followed her all the way to the beach, a long run that nearly tired him out until she disappeared among the cliffs.

Cursing under his breath, he ducked into a shady spot to wait. For the cooling season, there were still heat waves in this part of the world.

He rummaged through his pocket and pulled out the new message senders they’d gotten that morning, flipping it open to reply to Shiro’s message.

“ _ **Where did you go?** ”_

_“I ended up following her to the beach, almost a mile or so south. I’m gonna explore the cliffs once it’s a little darker, to give my night vision a chance to see things I wouldn’t in the daytime.”_

_“ **Alright, we’re on our way. Allura has another vision. Be careful Keith, stay away from the water. She has a bad feeling about something in the water.“**_

_“Roger that. Oh, and she’s an Avian, Shiro. She has green feathers.”_

_“ **Wait what?!** ”_

Keith flipped his messenger shut and stood, dusting sand from his pants and turning to the cliff face with a sigh.

He began climbing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy! Will Keith meet up with Pidge? How come Pidge hasn’t seen Keith in a decade? What has the little birdbrain been doing these last four years? Will I ever get a proper update schedule going for this dang thing?  
> Find out next chapter! Maybe. I dunno, these things barely follow any plan I make anyways.  
> :’)


	7. A Shark In Cold Waters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is a Mer. Pidge is an Avian. Friendship like this could get them killed, but both will defend their friend to hell and back. And if Lance has to drown intruders to do so, then so be it.

Lance really hadn’t counted on his day being this shitty. He’d woken up from a weird ass dream, got stuck with guppy sitting duty for his aunt, and on top of that, his big sister Veronica ate the last lobster tail at breakfast!

He’d had to settle for kelp. Not really his favorite food, no matter how many times his Mamá told him it was healthy for his fins. It tasted like the grass Pidge had once let him try, but saltier and wet. Slimy.

He met up with Pidge at the cove with a bunch of fish for her breakfast, pulling up next to the big dark rock that was in between the sea and the sand.

Pidge was already there, enjoying the sun in her feathers as she scrubbed them with a sand filled brush.

“Mornin’ Pidgeon!” Lance trilled as he propped himself up on his hands.

“What’s good my main Mer?” Pidge asked as she flexed her wings, setting the brush down behind the rock.

“Breakfast is what’s good. Caught it on my way here.” Lance replied, holding up his bundle.

“Fuck yeah!” Pidge chirped, hands reaching out in the ‘gimmie gimmie!’ pose.

Lance handed over the bundle and the girl ran inside the cave to cook them, the Mer following along in the small stream.

Later, after food was all said and done, Pidge pulled on her jacket and let her wings stretch one last time.

“Is it just me, or has the algae in your feathers gotten darker?” Lance said, peering at his friend’s wings.

“Yeah, it’s growing... It doesn’t matter what I do, the darn green color won’t come out! So I might as well let it stay there... plus, it looks kinda cool.” Pidge sighed, extending a wing to expose the once white feathers to the sun.

“I scrub off the extra plant matter before I tuck my wings though. I don’t want to risk a back infection. That could mean the loss of my wings, and then I’d _really_ be like a human.” Pidge shuddered at the thought.

Lance hummed in reply and tipped his head to the side. “I don’t think there’s any white left at this point. You’re a real sea bird, Pidge!”

Pidge had laughed at that, and then left for work.

But the real kicker of the day was the Vampire falling from the top of the cliffs that bordered the cove right around sundown. Lance had to dive off the rocks he was sunning himself on in order to start laughing.

The Other had looked like a panicked seagull when the rock under his hand had given way, falling and flailing the whole way down with a startled shriek.

Lance’s laugh came out in a flurry of bubbles, until he recovered enough to surface behind the rock, peering out to check on the other inhuman.

The Vampire in question had gotten up, dusting sand off of his pants and back. He was looking around rather curiously, moving up and down the beach as if searching for something.

Pidge had been by earlier, saying something about an old flock member and then dashing into her nest to trade her bag of sellable items for a cloth grocery bag and some money. Lance was to watch for any suspicious people and keep them away from her nest like usual.

Lance had called out an affirmative, since she’d also promised him a few cream puffs. He’d have done it anyways, but the treats were an added bonus. He loved the little pastries stuffed with sweet whipped cream. And if that meant drowning a few people, hey, more food for him!

He shook out of his daydream when he noticed the Vampire moving towards the cave where Pidge’s decked out nest was. Lance lifted his tail out of the water and shot off a quick pulse flash from the energy stored in his tail fin, smashing it back down into the water to catch the Vampire’s attention.

He ducked behind the rock, peeking out to check the Vampire’s reaction. Said Other had stopped, staring curiously at the water.

Lance wondered if Vampires could drown. Probably. He had no qualms about drowning intruders. Unless they were Avians or children. And this Vampire was definitely an intruder to Pidge’s territory.

He trilled lightly, a faint siren call to lure the Vampire into the water. He grinned when he noticed it worked. He wasn’t as good as his brother Marco, but he was decent enough to call a silly land walker or two.

Once the Vampire was waist deep, Lance slid up to him, swimming around him in a circle.

“KEITH! _GET OUT OF THERE!_ ” Someone suddenly yelled, a female voice that wasn’t Pidge, too high for that.

 _Too late,_ Lance thought, as his tail cinched around the Keef’s legs and pulled him under into deeper water. He tsked when the Vampire began to struggle, and merely pulled him deeper.

But then arms plunged through the water, grabbing onto the Keef’s hands and yanking him up. Wind beat the water from above, which told Lance he was dealing with an Avian. A strong one, since Lance was lifted partway out of the water with them.

He snarled at the second intruder, who hissed back in interest. “Let, my, friend, _go!_ ” The male Avian grunted with each beat of his wings, sweat slipping down his face from the effort.

“Nobody touches her nest! No intruders allowed!” Lance shot back, tail crushing the Keef around his middle.

“Wait, who’s ‘her’?” The Keef wheezed, claws digging into Lance’s tail as he tried to get free.

“None of your business, fang boy!” Lance growled, hands swatting at the black and white Avian’s feathers.

A wing smacked the Mer right in a patch of nerves on the back of his tail and sent a hot flash of pain through his spine. Yelping, Lance let go and fell back into the water, stunned. But not before he shot off another bright glare of light, blinding the Avian and Vampire and sending them crashing into the water too.

They all floated for a second before Lance recovered first, grabbing the Avian by the wings and slamming his tail down on the Vampire, pinning him to the sand. Both struggled, bubbles churning the water as the fight continued.

Then Lance felt someone grab his back fin, pulling him off of the intruders and sending him flying out of the water to hit the sand, several feet from the edge of where sea met sand.

A foot pinned him down against the coarse ground, a ginger haired human glaring at him from above. Lance hissed and flared his fins the best he could, lifting his tail to bash the old man away.

A woman with white hair grabbed his tail, her grip firm and strong against his slippery scales.

Trapped, Lance opened his mouth to scream, only for a knife to press against his throat.

“You make _one wrong sound_ and this goes through your neck like _butter._ ” The soaked Keef snarled, absolutely livid.

Lance shut his mouth and settled for glaring instead, folding his arms over his chest.

“Tell us where the girl with the green feathers is, and we’ll let you go free.” The Avian from before stepped forwards, wings folded and dripping sea water.

“I’m no traitor.” Lance hissed, eyes narrowing at the Avian.

“But you certainly are, at least to her.” He continued, recognizing the face Pidge had described to him a lot, on rainy days when she’d been sad and homesick.

“What?” The Avian, The Sheero, as Lance recalled, looked confused.

Suddenly, a screeching feathered blur dove out of the sky and sent them all stumbling back, the angry Avian girl flaring her wings and fluffing her feathers to look bigger.

“Stay away from Lance, murderer!!!” She yelled, taking up a defensive stance and shielding the downed Mer with her body.

Shiro’s eyes narrowed, before his jaw dropped.

“ _Katie?!?_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you really think someone was gonna die? Would I do that to you, really?  
> ........maybe. But not today.  
> Up next, Pidge learns a few things about her old flock, and Allura discovers something huge about the two friends.  
> Tune in next time to find out! :)


	8. Recollection Endroll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge has a decision to make, and Shiro has a tale to tell.

She hadn’t seen them in years. She didn’t _want_ to see them. Keith, he hadn’t done her much wrong, but he was associated with Shiro and would back him through anything.  
  
Shiro hadn’t changed much, aside from what she’d seen in the city. The Alteans were new, since when had Keith and Shiro started traveling with outsiders to the flock? Unless one of them was an Oracle, she'd heard one of them was wandering around.  
  
He was staring at her, obviously shocked. She’d changed too. Her wings were bigger and sleeker, silky looking from the fish she ate and the seawater she lived near. Her long hair had been chopped short with Lance’s help, glasses unnecessary and clothes different from the old sweaters and dresses she’d preferred back ‘ _home_ ’. Not to mention, the tan and white color her feathers used to be were now a sandy brown and varying shades of green at the tips.  
  
She’d kept track of every Avian or Mer raid, often interfering with radio signals and misguiding Avians away from their intended targets. She hated the needless killings, Lance and the Mer were so unique, just like the Avians. But the tension between the two kept getting worse to the point it was natural to kill the other on sight. It made her _sick_.  
  
So she left her flock of murderers, her own brother who she’d thought would never harm a child, her best friend who repeated his moral code to others on a daily basis, her own parents who condoned this kind of behavior. War was stupid, and she intended to derail as many skirmishes as she could.  
  
So she was angry. Angry at Shiro for trying to hurt Lance, the one person who understood her hatred of the needless deaths of all intelligent creatures for no reason other than glory or pride in this heedless cycle of revenge. Angry at her own race for being so heartless to other unique creatures that were special in their own way.  
  
Angry at how even after all this time, he looked at her like she was still his flock member, his little sister.  
  
“ _Go away_.” She hissed, wings puffed up in an attempt to be intimidating. Behind her, Lance sat up on his tail, glancing between her and the water. Probably torn between going back to the sea or staying and helping Pidge.  
  
"Katie, what are you doing here? Where have you _been_ all this time?" Shiro whispered, reaching towards her.  
  
" _Don't_ call me that." She spat, wings flaring in rage. "Nobody calls me that anymore. I want _nothing_ to do with any other Avians, _especially_ not known murderers."  
  
Surprisingly, Shiro flinched. He knew what she meant... and what she wouldn't know.  
  
"Katie... me and Matt don't go out on raids anymore. We haven't since you disappeared." He explained, attempting to soothe the hateful girl.  
  
He got nailed in the head with a pebble. "Liar! I heard the stories! The Holt Flock are the main contributors in the raids!" Pidge shrieked, cheeks turning red as she fumed.  
  
Allura, Keith and Coran, having hung back all this time, were slowly inching forward.

"Katie, the only way they contribute to the raids is because they give the raiders medicine and a place to rest for a while. Nothing more. Shiro told me how he never wanted to go on a raid ever again, since you hated them so much." Keith said slowly, hoping it would get through.  
  
Lance scoffed. "Yeah. Medicine. Poisoning Mer isn't common, but it's been used here and there." The tide was coming in, and so was some of the color in Lance's tail. Water lapped at the group's feet, a light warning.  
  
" _Shut it_ , fish breath. You aren't helping the situation." Keith growled, and Lance snarled back with interest.  
  
"Katie... why did you leave? Please, I need to know." Shiro pleaded, feathers tucked tightly against his back.  
  
Pidge narrowed her eyes. " _Four years,_ Shiro. I've been derailing these senseless murders for a whole four years now, but I will never forget the reason I left. I watched you four years ago, you came back covered in blood and Matt had the tail of a guppy Mer in his hand. A baby, Shiro! How could I stay after seeing that? I was a child too! A child who finally realized her entire life was nothing but _lies_ after I met Lance. 'The Mer are dangerous, they kill everyone on sight.' 'The Mer don't have emotions, only the desire to rip off our wings to make disgusting trinkets to add to a collection.' They were all _wrong!_ The Mer are _nothing_ like that! Little naive me thought her family wouldn't think that way. _Especially_ not the two people she looked up to. But I was wrong, and I had to get out of there. I had to get away from the people who would willingly kill a defenseless kid."  
  
Shiro tensed. "Katie... Matt didn't kill that guppy. He was there trying to _stop_ the guppy from dying, but the captain thought Matt was finishing off the job. So as a... _present,_ " He gritted out the word as if it were garbage in his mouth. "He carved off the tail and gave it to Matt. I was covered in blood from helping the other Avians get out of the line of fire. We only came home because the Galra came out of nowhere and started clawing for the bodies. We didn't get to explain before you left. We _tried_ , Katie. We really did. We looked for you for so _long_ , so we could tell you the whole truth and bring you home."  
  
Pidge's wings had been smoothing down during the whole explanation, but the furious look didn't fade from her face.  
  
"Pidge... they aren't lying." Lance murmured from behind her, wishing he could say they were, but Shiro's body language didn't lie. Mer can't speak during hunts underwater or they could lose the prey, so identifying body language was key. And the Avian's body language indicated he was telling the truth.  
  
She turned to look at him, face torn between believing him, who never lied, and her own mind, which was screaming that it was all _fake_ , that her old Flock was still a bunch of murderers.  
  
But Lance didn't lie. He never _had_ , not to her. He was her best friend, the one who knew her better than she knew herself, who helped her build her nest in the cove, who never failed to bring her food when she was hungry, who helped groom her wings and hair, _who **never** **lied** to her in all the years they had known each other._  
  
The rage she felt began to die down. If Lance said Shiro wasn't lying, then he was telling the truth. In fact, in all the times she'd intercepted transmissions between Avian raiding parties, not _once_ had she heard mentions of Shiro or Matt. Which meant...  
  
"You... you stopped joining the raids?" She asked, confusion taking the place of the anger. Her whole world had just tipped on its side, and she felt dizzy.  
  
"Yes, Katie, we never _wanted_ to join them in the first place. But we had no choice, since we were drafted. Then me and Matt were captured by the Galra for a year, and when we got back we were thankfully _exempt_ from being drafted for raids. We used that time to look for you, and we never stopped trying to find where you went." Shiro assured the confused girl, whose eyes shot to his prosthetic.  
  
"The Galra... caught you? And Matt? But, how? When did- What?!" Her wings were trembling, and she was rapidly losing color in her face.  
  
"Pidgeon, you're hyperventilating, you have to _calm down-_ " Lance said, and had to lunge forwards so that when she fainted, she landed on his tail, the tough muscle and cartilage a better cushion than the rocky sand she was careening towards.  
  
"Katie!" Both Shiro and Keith darted forwards, Shiro leaning to check her pulse. Lance growled lowly in his throat, but allowed it.  
  
"She's burning up, must be a stress induced fever." Shiro muttered as his human hand brushed over her forehead.  
  
"Her nest is up in that cove, I can take you to it if you let me into the stream." Lance admitted, still wary of these strange Others.  
  
"Okay, but _move fast._ This could turn into full on sickness if she doesn't cool down soon." Keith said, scooping up the unconscious Avian girl and allowing Lance to move into the ocean.  
  
The Mer disappeared up the stream that led into the cove, and came back within minutes, on two legs and clothed, looking a little pained as he jogged across the sand to the group. He'd yanked on a tank top and some shorts, and changing his form so fast _had_ to have hurt, Shiro thought.  
  
"Give her here, I have a cooler body temperature than you, Mullet." Lance bit out, taking Pidge from the glaring Vampire.  
  
"Come on, this way, and watch your step. The ledge is pretty weak, and only one of you has hollow bones." The Mer continued, moving into the cave.  
  
Allura, in the meantime, hadn't been able to tear her eyes from the faint mark hidden by a crosshatch scar on Lance's lower left leg. Coran gently tugged her along as her gaze shifted to Katie's left forearm, which was exposed due to Lance having removed her jacket in an effort to cool her down. Sure enough, another faint mark was there.  
  
_Green feathers and wet scales, a tree that played with the sea._  
  
She'd just found her Paladins of Life and Water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im so sorry for being gone for so long, hope you like the new if kinda short chapter!!!! I've been busy with a lot of stuff actually.  
> Play the song called Worlds Collide (league of legends) to make this chapter more dramatic~

**Author's Note:**

> Oooooooohhh how loooong it’s been, since I posted a fic on this blessed website of fantasies~!  
> Haha, hope you enjoy this newest fic :)


End file.
